I WILL GO strategic plan is unveiled for women in Ukrainian Union Conference
Adventist women representing more than one thousand congregations and companies respond, "I Will Go," at virtual women's congress.
Euro-Asia Division
[Ukraine] Ukrainian Union embraces a huge territory that is divided into eight conferences which has a total of 800 congregations and 230 small groups. It is not easy to accomplish ministry on such a scale. My team leaders, the Women’s Ministries directors of the conferences, and I prayed earnestly about our ministry. We asked the Lord would help us reach each corner of our territory and each congregation.
Not long afterward all plans collapsed and doors closed because of COVID-19 restrictions, but during the past year the Lord has been preparing us to use new tools for our ministry. We began leading meetings on Zoom format by regions and conferences.
Then we heard the strategic plan of our world church for the next five years, I Will Go, and we set our hearts on telling every woman in our territory about this. After much prayer, we decided to hold a virtual Ukrainian Women’s Congress, February 27, 2021, to introduce I Will Go.
But how would we reach many sisters who don’t have access to internet? We wrote a letter to each pastor and asked him to help women in their congregations connect to our digital congress. We also asked the young women of the congregation to organize small groups for watching the event by livestream, serving older women who don’t use internet.
The motto I Will Go was presented with three important themes:
- I will go TO Jesus—asking for spiritual revival in our personal lives.
- I will go WITH Jesus—inviting Jesus into our practical lives.
- I will go FOR Jesus—carrying the Gospel light everywhere, even to places we wouldn’t ordinarily go.
Each conference leader had opportunity to make a presentation of her ministry projects already going on in her territory and to invite women to become involved.
Raquel Arrais, associate director of the General Conference Women’s Ministries department, provided spiritual nurture. Her words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, touched our hearts!
Feedback came from individuals, congregations, cities, conferences, and countries testifying that the Lord touched hearts and decisions were made to respond to Jesus’ call and answer, “I Will Go Reach My World.”
We saw the Lord move in many ways throughout the planning and the program itself. We thanked the Lord from the bottom of our hearts, and with tears of joy, because He is great, and nothing is impossible for Him!
Contributed by Irina Begas, director of Women’s Ministries for Ukrainian Union Conference
Photos: WM Ukraine
Published in Mosaic newsletter, 2021 Q2, spring issue
Photo: Original_1st, Unsplash.com | Dnipro River, Ukraine
